Tuesday, October 12, 2004

'PASSPORT TO PITTENWEEM'

Looks like someone is going to Saltcoats for his holidays next year.

Hat tip to the Scottish Patient

Update

In the comments section to this post, Backward Dave comments on Banks as a person and as a writer. I agree with Dave that what I have seen of Iain Banks, when he is being interviewed on the television, he seems like a good bloke and all that. And, like Dave, I agree that Bank's friend and fellow Sci-Fi novelist, Ken MacLeod, is probably the better writer of the two - from reading Macleod's blog and from reading the non-Science Fiction bits of his novel, The Stone Canal, which is as good a thumbnail sketch of the British Far Left in the seventies and eighties than anything I have read before.

Why did I feel the need to mention the above? Simply 'cos it gave me the excuse to link to the following article that MacLeod wrote for the Special Centenary Issue of the Socialist Standard, monthly journal of the Socialist Party of Great Britain, in June of this year. Gratuitous plug for said article, in the journal described as the Beano by Petty Bourgeois Deb, over, I can get on with other matters.

Now, where did I last leave my armchair?

12 comments:

Will said...

He added: "call me old fashioned but I think that war criminals should be punished and evil-doers not allowed to prosper."

That is a perfect summation of reasons for invading Iraq, Iran, North Korea, China, Burma (or whatever the fuck it's called these days),... shall I continue?

He thinks Blair is a war criminal does he? My that is subtle critique. What a dickheed.

Will said...

Prediction:
Moldova 2 - Scotland 0

Will said...

Well I was close mind you tho' but :)

Imposs1904 said...

I only posted the message because I found something rather comical about his public gesture of ripping up his passport.

I know you'll think I'm a head case for thinking this - lateral thinking and all that - but it just reminded me of that scene in Roddy Doyle's novel, 'The Commitments', where at their debut 'gig' a wee guy throws his underpants onto the stage (he is coerced by Mickey the Bouncer if memory serves me right), and the wee guy turns up at the back of the stage asking foir his underpants back. From that I have this mental image of Iain Banks sneaking into his Post Office, under cover of disguise, a couple of days later asking for the necessary forms so he can get a replacement British passport for that Science Fiction Convention he has to go to in Bilbao (or wherever it is that they hold those conventions - the further away the better.)

With regards to Will Rubbish's comments about the quality of Banks's writing, well, I don't read Science Fiction but people I know that do, say that his Iain M. Banks novels are uniformly excellent.

I read a couple of his non-science fiction novels, 'Crow Road' and 'Espedair Street', a few years back: I wasn't impressed.

Ed said...

I was only joking Darren.

The picture is fairly acurate only I haven't got a beard or glasses.

Imposs1904 said...

And so am I 'PB' Ed - you never heard of a running gag? ;)

Ed said...

No

Kevin Williamson said...

Much as I like both Iain M Banks and Ken MacLeod I reckon Alasdair Gray's limited output of sci-fi is the bizness. 'A History Maker' is a work of genius. Its hardly ever read cos of the shite publishing company that published it - altho I've heard that ten years late they're finally thinking of putting it out as a paperback. And you know what else? Banks, Gray and MacLeod are all fellow lefties. Wonder why that is?

Ken said...

I have this mental image of Iain Banks sneaking into his Post Office, under cover of disguise, a couple of days later asking for the necessary forms so he can get a replacement British passport for that Science Fiction Convention he has to go to in Bilbao (or wherever it is that they hold those conventions - the further away the better.)I assure you that he did not, and that - whatever one may think of the gesture - he has stuck to it at some inconvenience to himself.

Imposs1904 said...

Hello Ken,

I hope that not too much offence was taken. The original post was written in jest rather than malice.

But I do put my hands up to never being a fan of Sci Fi - all no doubt attributable to my not having the imagination for it, and opting to play football rather than watch Dr Who as a child.

Regards

timesnewroman said...

Yeah Will, invade China. You first. You haven't a clue have you, Ian Banks is a brilliant writer, Ian M Banks is quite good too. As to the best, that would be The Bridge. The bastard broke into my house and looked through my records to write it.

Will said...

No Jim I do have a clue. I wasn't calling for an invasion of China. Do you have a clue?